Touhoumon: A Girl and Her Phoenix
by Lagiacrus
Summary: Inspired roughly by Touhoumon Blue and Touhoumon World Link. In a world where the Touhoumon and the humans are locked in constant battle, Renko Usami of the village of Draconfels begins her journey as a Touhoumon Trainer, in order to find out why the Touhoumon keep attacking. She soon discovers a darker force controlling the Touhou behind the scenes...
1. Prologue: That Night Ten Years Ago

Hey guys, it's been a while!

For those who keep an eye on me, then you'll know that I'm famous for Monster Hunter stories – but as you are probably aware, this story is inspired by Touhoumon, a series of Pokemon hacks featuring Touhou characters. I'm writing this because the idea literally popped into my head last night, and I wanted to be one of the first to write Touhoumon fanfiction. Also, for those who watch me for MH stories, you'll be looking for an explanation as to why there have been no updates on Love For Ludroth – the story is not dead, I am still writing it – but at the minute I need to take a break from MH… I very recently broke away from a long-term relationship, and the boy I was dating happened to also be obsessed with MH. Even seeing the case for MHtri reminds me of him, so until I get over the break-up, you'll just need to wait a bit longer – remember, the story is still being written! I just need a break! Now, enough from me~ Enjoy my first ever Touhoumon fanfiction!

Also, a small note - this story follows similar evolution ideas to the actual touhoumon games, so there is the Chibi form, the normal form and then the EX form, EX being the strongest - and some have others like Advent and LastWord. If you've played some of the touhoumon games already then you should understand.

~Lagiacrus (AKA Blueeyesgirl3)

* * *

_They were our friends, once._

_But now there are only a select few who can control them. Those that we haven't befriended are our enemies, so I was raised believing. I learned that for the first time when I was only a baby. But when I hit the age of six, I realized that not all of the wild ones were evil._

_Up until that point, I'd viewed every single wild Touhou as evil, violent, and incredibly dangerous. But on a night which started off just like any other, I realized how wrong I was._

_You see, I live in a village called Draconfels, located on the Eastern coast of the large island known as Gensokyo. Those with more simple minds also tend to call it Touhou Island. But, as a native, I will call it Gensokyo. Our village, despite being small, is required to have unbelievably high and strong walls. The village buildings themselves were dwarfed by their size! And, I'm sure you're anxious to hear why._

_Well, let's put it this way – the whole village would be reduced to rubble if we didn't. _

* * *

I was six years old, on that fateful day ten years ago. It had been about two months since my mother had disappeared. I was woken in the middle of the night to the sound of the Momijis that guarded the wall barking like crazy. I snapped awake when it dawned on me what was happening.

"Another attack!?" I yelled and jumped out of bed, pulling on my shoes and quickly grabbing my shoulder bag. You'd think by this point, I'd be used to the attacks – they happened almost nightly, after all – but I was still always gripped by that same fear when the Momijis set off the alarm.

My father, a strong, brave, experienced man called Takuto almost broke my door down as he entered. Relieved that I was awake and I hadn't been stolen by the Touhou, like some had been in the past, he tried to smile despite the situation.

"Daddy, I'm ready!" I showed him the contents of my shoulder bag – several healing potions. He nodded.

"Good girl. Stay safe out there, and if you can, try to stay close to me." He said, and then darted for the front door, adjusting his armour as he did so.

"Aya, come!" He called. Expectantly, I stood in the doorway of my bedroom, and didn't even flinch as a black blur zoomed past me and stopped by my father – his EX Aya, who was both respected and feared as far away as the big city known as Nippon on the other side of the island. She was old now, she had been around since before I was even born, but she was still going strong and was still the most powerful Touhou in the village. Both of them stepped out into the cold night, as the fires burning in the braziers on the walls illuminated the sky, making the village seem even more like a battlefield.

Immediately, I heard father barking orders to his trusted companion.

"Aya, use Whirlwind! Get those monsters off the walls!"

I followed their example and stepped out into the fray. For any normal six-year-old, a situation like this would have been incredibly frightening. While I did find it somewhat scary, the fact that this was practically my life helped me overcome my fear – and plus, I had a duty to carry out during attacks, and I was proud of this fact.

Taking cover behind a building, I observed the wall as a considerable amount of Momijis and their soldier owners clambered down from it and rushed outside of the village – into the various wild Touhou that were out there, trying to get in. Less than a few minutes later, a small Momiji with baggy clothes shambled back into the village grounds, dropped her sword and shield, and then collapsed on the ground. I instantly rushed to her, and sprayed the potion on her various wounds. Then, I helped her to her feet, and she scooped up her equipment. She nodded at me, let out a howl, and then darted back into the fray, just as another Momiji was thrown out of the battleground, her ass ablaze with fire.

This was how things were most nights. I had grown to accept it. Besides, my job as the healer was too important for me to be scared. But, tonight ended slightly differently.

There was a thundering roar heard from somewhere outside the village, behind where most of the fighting was taking place. A shadow rose from the night, blocking out the glowing volcano at the centre of the island, and towering high over the trees. The figure, although beast-like in shape, was completely black and the only thing I could see were its glowing red eyes, and one large, slightly bent red horn protruding from what I assumed was its forehead. This creature, whatever it was, was new. It had never appeared before. It let out another ear-shattering roar and seemed to join in the battle taking place in front of the gates. My father, naturally, panicked.

"A-AYA! Use Extremespeed on that creature!" He called out, indicating to the said shadow with a pointed finger. With a nod, she kicked herself up further into the air, her aged wings beating just as smoothly as they always had. She narrowed her eyes at the creature, and couldn't stop the twisted smile she was famous for from growing increasingly large on her face. She was eventually consumed by a purple light, as she shot further into the sky, high above the creature, and then launched herself at it, like she'd been fired out of a cannon. With blinding speed she zoomed towards the beast and then, in a typical Aya fashion, punched it right in the face, sending it staggering backward. Stunned by the impact, it regained its posture and then roared to the skies, before it was slowly absorbed into the night and it disappeared.

"They're retreating!" One of the soldiers called as I tended to the wounds of three Momijis. I stood up and watched the various Touhou leave, tripping over themselves and each other as they went – Yuugis, Suikas and I think I saw some Parsees – well, at least they didn't have an Utsuho with them tonight. Even father's Aya struggled with them.

As the soldiers returned to their posts on the wall with their beloved Momijis, I received a congratulatory pat on the head from father and a hug from Aya – I loved her hugs! Then, they went inside the house. I was about to join them when I caught movement at the corner of my eye.

_A Touhou? _I thought to myself, and walked cautiously to where I had seen the movement. I peered around the side of my house and caught a leg clad in red fabric disappearing behind the next corner. I sneaked around and peered around the next corner, but was greeted only by a barrel.

A barrel which appeared to be shaking.

I tip-toed up to the round wooden container and began to lift it up with one hand. My action was met with a childlike squeal of fear from whatever was inside the barrel.

"Shhh, it's okay!" I said in a hushed voice, not quite sure what I was talking to. I peered under the barrel and saw a Chibi Touhou sitting on the ground, tears streaming from her face and her hands covering her right eye. She looked at me with her left eye, clearly she was terrified – I didn't know what had happened to her, but I could only assume that she had been injured during the battle, because of the way she was covering her right eye. Her sobbing quietened slightly, but the tears streamed freely still and a look of pain and fear continued to grace her features. I let the barrel fall over, leaving the little Touhou exposed, and she let out a cry of fear at the banging sound it made.

"A Mokou…?!" I gasped. I reached out my hand to her and she shied away, letting out a fearful whine.

"It's okay; I'm not your enemy!" I spoke, and eventually, after much coaxing, I was able to scoop her up into my arms and bring her to the house. After her right eye had been bandaged (It had been slashed by a Momiji's blade), she refused to leave my side. When I went to bed for the second time that night, she was still right there, still terrified of everything – except me. Seeing her as a cuddly teddy bear at my age, I hugged her as I fell asleep – which continued until she evolved, a few years later.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think that a Mokou would come to mean more to me than anybody – being as stubborn and unfriendly as they normally were – but she wasn't like that. Much like father and Aya, me and Mokou quickly became inseparable – and now that you know a little about my past, I think it's about time that I told you the story you're here to hear – the story about how I became a Touhoumon trainer.


	2. Chapter 1: Daytime Attack

Hello guys, it's been a VERY long time and I have never been more sorry. I'm really sorry it's taken me this long to update this story and I seriously hope it's been worth the wait for those of you who are still interested. The only reason I can give for the almost yearly delay is schoolwork and having a generally busy life - but I'm hoping to work on this story more frequently from now on, and if this story isn't updated again soon, feel free to PM me about it because I may have forgotten with schoolwork. Sometimes I just need a little push to get things done! ^^'

Anyways, for those of you who read this, please enjoy!

~ Lagiacrus

* * *

Chapter 1

Ten years passed and during that time, Mokou became my best friend. When I was ten she evolved into her normal form, and when I was fifteen she evolved again into her final EX form. Dad had said that no Touhoumon should evolve that fast. My father was thirty when Aya evolved to her final form. He believed that much like my mother, I had a way with the Touhoumon, and I was passionate about them. I was yet to meet a Touhou who disliked me, it was true.

It wasn't long after I got Mokou that I realized that she did not object to being commanded by me. I began to engage in battles with classmates and their Touhous, but the battles soon got boring as they were always with the same people – not many kids had Touhous in our village. Maribel, my best friend and nextdoor neighbour, had gotten a Chibi Keine around the same time I had gotten Mokou. They had grown fond of each other. There was nothing the two of them liked more than engaging in battle with one another.

Because of this, Mokou and I had grown strong. Under my guidance she was virtually unbeatable. Dad told me multiple times that I had a talent for raising and battling with Touhoumon, and suggested further that I became a trainer when I turned eighteen. I had often thought about it, but there was one day when I was sixteen that made up my mind for me – the day of the worst attack with the worst casualty in the entire history of Drachenfels. That day, is where my story truly begins.

It started off as a normal day. The wind blew my curtains back, away from the open window. In my half-awake state I was vaguely aware of familiar, heavy footsteps entering my room. Then, something landed on the bed with a loud thump, and I shot up immediately. I looked into the crimson red eyes of Mokou, who was grinning wildly. She had always been an early riser, and tended to spend her mornings before I awoke in the company of father's Aya. I smiled back at her and sat up. My eyes landed on the scar that covered her right eye – the remnants of the wound I found her with all those years ago. It had healed up with no problems, and luckily no damage was suffered to the eye itself. I adjusted the red and white ribbon which she had put in her hair and then proceeded to draw back my curtains. Maribel's room was in the opposite building from my window, her window was directly opposite my own and, much like mine, it was open. With a smirk, I peeked my head out of the opened window, and examined the street below. Everybody seemed to be awake, so I wouldn't be disturbing anyone. I inhaled deeply, and just like any other teenager would do, I shouted;

"HEY MARIBEL, YOU FAT BITCH! WAKE UP!"

Nobody stirred. This was a daily occurrence and nobody was bothered by it. However, a hand suddenly appeared in Maribel's window, clearly belonging to somebody lying down, and brandished a middle finger in my direction like a weapon. I found myself bursting out into laughter, and I got out of bed to get dressed.

I put on my usual attire – a long black skirt, a long-sleeved shirt with a similar design to Mokou's (that was deliberate) and a white ribbon tied to one of my bangs. Then, I placed my hat upon my head, laced my brown knee-high boots, and journeyed out into the hallway. I moved into the kitchen with Mokou in tow and greeted Aya who was perched on the counter like a bird, with her now completely grey wings folded neatly against her back.

The ultimate sign to tell the age of an Aya was the colour of her wings. For some reason, as they got older, their wings gradually changed from black to grey. Aya's were now completely grey, which was a very good sign that an Aya wasn't long for life. The same went for Hatates and even Utsuhos. The thought saddened me, but Aya didn't seem bothered, so I tried to get on with things.

Aya was the closest thing I had to a mother, and I think she knew that I thought like this. Apparently, ever since the day I was born she had looked out for me, and after my mother disappeared she virtually took her place. She would take me to bed at night and would make sure that I went to sleep, she would walk me to school in the mornings and would scare off my bullies.

Although back then she was the most bizarre Touhou I'd ever met. The tiniest thing made her laugh, especially if it was at dad's expense, and her smile had always been disturbing – like the one you might see on a serial killer, but nevertheless I loved her anyway. Even at this age, she never let me out of her sight during attacks. Imagining life without her was impossible, but I had to get used to the idea because she wouldn't be here much longer.

As I sat down at the kitchen table, Mokou bounded into the room like a wild animal and divebombed onto the couch in the next-door living room, I heard dad give an 'oof' and burst out laughing. Yeah, just another morning really. When I told her we were leaving she got to her feet after crushing my dad, and I had to stop her to fix her bow yet again. Her clothes were a special set that evolved with her – technically, they were the same clothes I found her in, but they changed appearance as she did. Despite the fact that they were the clothes she always wore, she could never put the bow in right, and I either had to do it for her or adjust it considerably. Most Touhous had a set of clothes like this but trainers could dress them up in any way they wanted, as long as the Touhous themselves allowed it. However, each Touhou did have a specific way in which they liked to dress. Aya for example wore a pair of black denim shorts (apart of her original outfit) and a black and gold shirt, which was not a part of her original attire. Anyway, enough about that for now, I'm getting off track again.

With Mokou beside me I broke out of the stuffy house and into the sunlight, taking in the sights and sounds of the village early in the morning. Children were running around, playing with each other and the young Momijis before school started. Both Chibi and Normal Ayas were perched on the walls, chatting away in their own language and looking out over the mountains in the distance. The few guards on duty sleepily leaned on their spears, letting out gaping yawns that would swallow the entire village if they increased any more in size. While I was still waking up, Mokou was very much awake and was feeling like her usual mischievous self. Just as she pulled a flying Aya out of the air and pulled it into a bear hug, Maribel emerged from her doorway, looking visibly worn out. Her Keine walked out after her and strode over to Mokou, scolding her and telling her to release the terrified tengu.

"Rough night?" I asked Maribel as she shuffled over to me. She practically fell into my arms, and immediately shut her eyes.

"Yup." She mumbled into my shirt.

"What happened?" I inquired and she pulled away and released an angry sigh.

"My sister's Chibi Chen happened. The fleabag was crying all of last night after the attack," She growled in annoyance, adjusting the puffy white hat on her head and brushing some of her blonde hair out of her face. Her purple dress was dishevelled and riding up at the back – clearly she'd been paying little attention as she got dressed. I pulled her dress down and she nodded in thanks.

"I did warn you about them! Get earplugs!" I joked.

"Don't worry, the next time I can take a trip to the next town I'm getting some." She responded.

Everybody in the village had a specific job to do during the day, and some people, like Maribel and I, had more than one. Since we were two of the only young girls in the village, we often worked together in our tasks. First, Mokou and I had to venture up onto the village walls and light the braziers which were said to ward off evil Touhou. Then, Maribel and I would go down to the nearby river and collect water for the village to use – this often took a while, we had to make a few trips. By this point it was usually dinner time, and after that Mokou and I attempted to clean the house when dad was out with the soldiers.

However, today we never got that far. The four of us – Myself, Maribel, Mokou and Keine – each carried two empty buckets. This was out second trip and we were on our way back to the river. My boots crushed the lush green grass we walked upon and morning dew dripped from the leaves suspended high above us, on gnarled branches. By this point, it was 9 o'clock, but the sun was bright and burning already.

We broke out from under the shade of the trees and stepped from the grass onto warm, silky sand. Sitting on a rock was a pair of wild normal Mystias, observing a school of Nitoris of various ages – but all clad in similar light blue attire – splashing and playing in the deeper waters. As Maribel and I gathered up water, the Mystias immediately began to harass Mokou and Keine, which annoyed them to no end. Mokou ended up shooting a jet of flame in their direction, sending them flying on their little wings, and frightening the Nitoris enough to make them cower underwater. I could only laugh as Mokou looked to where the Nitoris had been with a sheepish smile. She said something in the Touhou language, which I had learnt meant "I'm sorry", and the Nitoris nervously resurfaced. After a few seconds they went back to playing, accepting Mokou's apology. Keine just tutted and shook her head, and Mokou laughed in response, crossing her arms behind her head.

It was just another day. Nothing was out of place, or unusual – I wasn't even getting any bad feelings. What came next took us all by surprise, and caused the death of somebody so important to me that I was sure that I'd never fully recover.

We saw smoke from the village's braziers over the top of the trees. There was a slightly biger accumulation of the toxic black substance than normal, but I didn't think anything of it.

We neared the village after filling our buckets, with little more than a few trees separating us from it – we could hear the violent crackle of hungry flames, the shouts of men and Touhou, and the clash of weapons.

No way… the village has never been attacked during the day before! Caught without my potions, this would be a dangerous fight – for Mokou and I and everybody else involved. I was the designated healer, people and Touhou alike placed their lives in my hands – and I had been stupid enough as to forget my equipment!

Instinctively I dropped the buckets, and looked at Mokou who already seemed prepared to pounce.

"Mokou, go!" I shouted to her in panic and forward she went, diving through the trees and into whatever fray still escaped our gazes. The foliage was still too thick where we were to see any real sign of the battle.

"Keine, follow!" Maribel's powerful voice rung out and Keine followed after Mokou, removing her hat in the process. I cast a glance at Maribel and she nodded, placing her own buckets on the ground. Together we ran out onto the path leading up into the village and what we saw could only be described as the most horrific sight I had ever seen – at that specific moment in time, anyway.

Before us stood the smoking wreckage of our village. The flames ate away at the timbers composing my house, Maribel's, and almost every other building within the village walls. Guards lay bleeding or worse, their precious Momijis and Ayas crying beside them. Close to us, an Aya crashed into the dirt, her face becoming scraped by the hard ground and her features creased with blood. It was the Aya that Mokou had hugged earlier – she was often called 'Derpy' by the villagers because she was clumsy, and I guess this proved it. I rushed to her aid and tugged her off of the ground, holding her dazed form close while I checked her for wounds. She had no serious injuries, just the scrape on her face. I wasn't sure how she had crashed but one of her wings seemed to be sprained, so maybe she got into a fight with one of the other Touhou. I had to get her to safety before I did anything.

Since she had only evolved from a Chibi a week ago, she was still relatively small and was only the size of an eleven or twelve-year-old. It was easy to pick her up, sneak through the battle and get into the village where I took her immediately to my father who, while commanding Aya, was acting as a healer in my absence. He was relieved to see Maribel and I safe, and tended to Derpy's wounds the second he got the chance. That was when Maribel took control of Keine and I followed dad to get my equipment back so I could do my job. He took one potion to use on Derpy and handed me the rest, just as a Momiji staggered out of the fray and collapsed a little while inside the wall. I rushed to her aid, and so that was how it continued for some time – the battle was tied, we couldn't get the attacking Touhou – Yuugis, Suikas and Parsees much like every other night – to flee, and for every Momiji or Aya I got back in the fight another enemy showed up. It was a relentless battle which was destined to only get worse.

The sky was so thick with smoke from the burning that I had to remind myself that this was during the day and not a night attack. I saw dad's Aya flying high above the battle, swooping down and taking out an enemy when she saw an opening in their defences. She was the first to notice an ominous shadow forming off above the trees, and then taking on a solid shape. There was a piercing roar; one I had been fortunate enough not to hear in ten years…

Whatever manner of creature that Aya had managed to scare off that night had returned. The strange… shadow creature with the bent red horn. As some of the smoke cleared and I got a good look at it, I saw that it towered high above the village walls, and resembled a creature known as a 'dragon' a creature which some Touhous were supposedly related to. What it really was, however, I reckoned at the time that I would never find out.

Aya didn't even wait for orders. She made the decision to take on the elephantine creature herself, but I kept close to her on the ground below. At her delicate old age, I knew this was a fight she could not win. This was an accident waiting to happen.

She chose to use Extremespeed, much like last time. I watched her as she began to glow with the familiar purple hue, and she readied her fists for impact. The creature's eyes were on her; large and red, with a slit pupil. The monster seemed to give a laugh in a deep, booming but surprisingly feminine voice, just as Aya set her attack into motion and sped forward, aiming to punch the beast straight in the face, as before – but this time she didn't count on one thing.

The creature had remembered that night; it remembered Aya's tactic. It reached up a clawed hand and pulled her right out of the air by one of her wings. She struggled as hard as she could, her wings flapping at twice their normal speed, but she quickly tired.

"Aya!" I called to her, and Mokou happened to glance up and catch the scene. She knocked together the heads of two Parsees and rushed to join me, gripping my shoulders and keeping me back from the scene. She was always so protective of me…

Aya happened to glance at me, and for the first time in a very long time I saw fear in her eyes. My legs became like jelly and I dropped to my knees as I realized there was nothing I could do to save her. I looked to Mokou, tears threatening to spill.

"M-Mokou, can't you save her!?" I begged, and she dropped to her knees, looked at me with apologetic eyes and shook her head rapidly. I knew she'd say that. Mokou wasn't strong enough yet to take on a creature of this size, and her premature evolutions hadn't helped.

The monster said something in the Touhou language – that thing was a Touhoumon!? – and gripped Aya tightly in one hand. I could only watch as she was lifted high into the air, and then slammed into the ground with such force that a crater formed around her limp form. I cried out in rage as the monster let out another of its devilish laughs, and then faded to nothing much like it had all those years ago. The monsters began to retreat, but why I wasn't sure. I was so angry that I tried to send Mokou to hunt them all down, but she refused to leave my side, wrapping her arms tightly around me to stop me trying to run after them myself.

I stared after them hopelessly as the guards and their Touhou let them escape, and Mokou released me. I scrambled for the crater and slid down to Aya's form. She was in a bad way – she was struggling to breathe, she couldn't move and blood leaked from her mouth, nose and from some unseen wound at the back of her head. Her wings were broken without a doubt, and she was too weak to even look at me. I was so stunned that I delayed in taking out a potion – precious time wasted, so it seemed.

While I knew there was little I could do about the broken wings, I thought I could at least patch up her open wounds, but they were too deep and the potion made no difference. It was too dangerous to move her to apply bandages either. We were stuck, and she was dying.

"RENKO!"

I peered over the crater and saw dad rushing towards us. He took one look at my puffy red face and stopped in his tracks, his face going a deathly shade of pale.

"W-What's wrong…?" He feared to ask, drawing closer.

"It's… Aya." I spluttered between choked sobs, and he dropped to his knees on the edge of the crater, staring down at his lifetime companion, who was now mere minutes away from her final breath. It had all happened so fast that he couldn't compute it. I was the same. I couldn't stop wishing that this was just a bad dream, wishing that maybe this wasn't happening at all, that I would just wake up and none of this would have happened. But it was not so.

"Aya! Hang in there, you'll be okay!" Dad cried out in anguish, sliding down the crater and joining Aya, gripping her hand tightly. She began speaking to him in her language, her voice was hoarse and very weak, and yet for a split second, her words… they sounded English to me.

"Don't be so upset, Takuto…"

And then, just like that, she was back to speaking her own language. I blinked. What the hell? I'd never heard a Touhou speak English before… but that didn't distract me from the matter at hand. I sniffled as Aya turned her head to look to me, with her usual crazy smile on her face. She began speaking to me too, but I never understood it… I really wished I could… I really wished…!

"Don't you be so upset either, you'll be fine without me…"

I blinked in further disbelief. Once again, her words were English… I felt so much relief that I knew what she was saying, and I rushed to reply…

"Aya, I don't think we'll ever recover from this…" I told her honestly, looking at my dad's heartbroken expression.

"You both will, trust me." She said sternly, with the bit of strength that remained. She groaned with pain and then, once again, her words were unknown to me.

What the hell is happening all of a sudden…!? Aya is dying, and now I can all of a sudden speak Touhou!? I wasn't sure what to make of it all, and even when Aya took her last breath, and left this world forever, I found myself barely noticing even as my dad screamed. I was just too overwhelmed. My entire body felt like it was shutting down… I started to get dizzy, and with the screams of frenzied anguish from my dad ringing in my ears, I fell back onto the worn ground and all went dark.


	3. Chapter 2: Touhou Trainer

Sorry guys, this chapter's a bit short but it's the way my chapter plans are playing out. Some chapters might be short and others not!

Also a small note: The 'language' that the Touhou are speaking is supposed to be Japanese while the humans speak English. The only reason that I don't write what they're saying is because I don't have a broad knowledge of Japanese so I can't really show what they're meant to be saying. Just thought I'd say that in case if people were wondering what 'their own language' actually was XD

Anyway, on with the story~!

* * *

Chapter 2

I wasn't sure how long I'd been out. When I came to, I was lying on a blanket in the school playground. All around me were injured guards and Touhou, worse off than me. So why was I here?

I had to shut my eyes to shield them from the glaring sun. The smoke was gone, the fires must have been extinguished when I was out cold. Letting my eyes adjust gradually to the light, I sat up, my head spinning like a carousel.

"Hey, you're awake!" A voice sounded to my left, and I turned to see Maribel kneeling down beside me. Mokou followed close behind her, worry a clear picture on her face. She thumped down onto my blanket, and gripped my face in both hands, staring deep into my eyes.

"Uhh... Mokou?" I asked with a nervous laugh. She continued staring.

"I think she's checking that you don't have a concussion." Maribel said with an amused smirk.

"Mokou, I'm fine, really. Just a little shaken up." I assured her, and she released me, but something still clearly concerned her. I just smiled as best as I could and fixed her bow.

After my experience it took a good half hour to get me walking properly. My legs still felt like jelly, and refused to function at first without help from Mokou. At my request she led me to dad, who was just outside the walls, beside a row of the dead, their bodies covered by white sheets until they could be buried. He was kneeling in front of one particular body which I knew must have been Aya. I made my way over to him and stood loyally by his side, placing a hand on his shoulder. He placed his hand over mine and squeezed it gently. With his voice wavering, he spoke;

"It would take ages to rebuild after this."

I just smiled.

"It won't be so bad. At least..." I looked to the blanket covering the body of father's most trusted friend.

"At least we didn't lose too many."

He stood up, and turned to face me, gripping my shoulders tightly with his firm hands.

"They were lives that didn't need to be lost, Renko. I don't want to lose any more." He began to walk back towards the village.

"What are you saying?" I asked him.

"We've got to move everybody out of here. I've already got everybody salvaging what they can of their belongings. We're leaving ASAP."

"No, dad! We shouldn't have to leave!" I cried and he looked back at me, her face set in stone.

"There is little else we can do, if we rebuild they'll just come back, destroy us again and take more lives." He warned me and I shook my head stubbornly.

"Then I'll go and stop them!" I shouted and his expression turned to one of terror.

"No!"

He took me into his arms, holding me close. He stunk of the ash from the fires.

"I've lost your mother, and today I lost Aya... I will not lose you."

"If this is allowed to continue then I'll be killed anyway." I spoke harshly and pushed away from him. I walked away to the ruins of the house to salvage what I could of my own belongings, and he watched me go, wordlessly, as if at a loss.

I was putting a stop to this. Only then would people stop dying, and we could live in peace.

I was going out into the world, where Touhou were monsters, the buildings were tall enough to pierce the heavens, and the people were all new. It was frightening. But I'd have Mokou, and she was all I needed.

From the smouldering wreckage of our house I could only find a few things that were still intact or of any use at all. I found my metal tin full of money - there wasn't a lot in it but I only had myself and Mokou to feed so it would be fine. I found my diary, surprisingly untouched, and Mokou's Touhou Orb - only used when I had to because she hated it.

Touhou Orbs are used to carry Touhoumon when you're travelling long distances to preserve their energy. They're especially handy if you have more than one Touhou. I'm not sure what they are like on the inside but Mokou hated them with a passion so I hardly ever used hers. They were red and white, and opened in the middle to take in a Touhou. They could also shrink so you could fit them into pockets or special belt compartments. I had one of the belts, only because it was formerly my dad's. I slotted Mokou's Orb into one of the compartments (there was six in total), packed my money and diary into my medical supplies bag, and left the house. Dad appeared yet again, this time with a bundle in his hand, tied in cloth.

"Food," He said simply, a hurt look in his eyes. I took it from him and smiled.

"Don't worry Dad, I'll come back. I'll have Mokou with me, nothing can go wrong!" I told him and he nodded.

"I know you'll be fine. You're strong, like your mother." He said with an unconvincing smile. I wanted this goodbye to be short and sweet, not too painful for him. I hugged him tightly, and he sighed.

"Please stay safe." He bedded, and I nodded.

"I will."

Then I turned around and headed towards the gates. Mokou quickly followed, giving me a look of confusion as she caught up with me.

"We're finding out who did this and then we're tracking them down." I said to her, and I heard her gulp. However, she didn't try to object. Even if she didn't always agree with my motives, it was good to know that she was loyal to me.

I knew that I was acting on impulse – the urge to see Aya's killer dead was rooted deep within me. I knew that I'd probably regret leaving at some point – the Touhou, even the wild ones around here were all friendly. I had no idea what they would be like further into the woods. Our village was fairly close to the shore of the island and the trees weren't as thick, and the Touhou were less dangerous. Further in, would they be friendly, hostile, small or big? It was scary to think of because I had no idea – and I'd be the first person from my village to find out.

As the village faded behind us, I found myself planning out our route in my head. I didn't have a map of the island, I'd never even been beyond the next town. I decided to head there first, I knew the people there – maybe they could help me decide what to do next.

The forest was dark and quiet, the trees were becoming closely knitted together. Strange sounds and the echoing snaps of twigs beneath my feet made me jump out of my skin. Although I had traversed this part of the woods before, something just seemed different this time – maybe it was the fact that I knew that I wouldn't walk this path again for a very long time. It was a daunting realization, and it seemed to hit both of us at the same time. Mokou was not a scaredy-cat by any means, she was the bravest Touhou I knew, even braver than dad's Aya, but even she could sense that something was amiss – it was like we were walking to our doom. She gave me a frightened look, her teeth clenched as a particularly loud call was heard from the green gloom, and she actually rocketed a fireball into the trees.

"Mokou, be careful! You'll set this whole place alight!" I scolded her and she shrunk under me immediately. I was the only one who could get away with speaking to her like that, apart from Maribel's Keine.

It turned out that Mokou had in fact hit something. We were stopped in our tracks as a Wriggle bounded out of the trees to the side of the path, its cape and rear both ablaze with Mokou's fire. I'd never seen a Wriggle in these parts before and that made me weary. There was every chance that this Touhou wasn't friendly. Mokou found the whole situation hilarious and was on the floor laughing at the Nightbug's misfortune, but she soon got her payback. The Wriggle, after putting out the flames, turned to Mokou with an angry flare in her eyes and her antennae twitching like they were sending out Morse Code. I warned her and she shot to her feet, although the remnants of tears stung her eyes from laughing so hard, and after that any sight of the Wriggle made her erupt into laughter all over again. The bug Touhou became so enraged that from its hands it fired four purple clouds, which hit Mokou in the face and she toppled over. Then, the Wriggle bounded off into the trees at the other side of the road and that was the last we heard of it.

Well, apart from the fact that Mokou was now poisoned! I had forgotten that Wriggles had the ability to poison their foes. I hadn't come prepared either – I only had healing potions, not antidotes. I couldn't cure her of the poison. We had only one option.

As we walked the poison was already taking effect. Walking was becoming difficult for her and she was sweating like a pig. We had to find somewhere to stop and rest until the poison left her system. If treated right, it would be mostly gone by tomorrow, and luckily I knew how to do that at least. I ended up having to hold her up as I walked, her legs were becoming so weak. She seemed annoyed, probably at her own weakness – Mokou was like that. She'd never be happy with herself until she was invincible, or so I often told myself.

We came to a small clearing just off the main path that showed signs of use as a camping spot in the past. I lay Mokou down on the ground, just as I remembered that I no longer had a sleeping bag – I had no doubt that it had been burnt in the fire. I would have to sleep without one tonight. Still, my only worry was my Touhou companion. Even now she was trying to stand back up, she seemed alarmed at her own foolishness and weakness. She growled something in her own language, probably a curse, and fell back onto the soft grass.

"Mokou, stop it. Just wait for the poison to wear off." I scolded and she gave a whine of disapproval. I glared at her and she accepted her fate, clasping her hands over her stomach and shutting her eyes. Before I contemplated my next move I fished around in the trees surrounding us, looking for good branches to use to get a fire going when darkness fell in a few hours. I found a few good, thick sturdy ones which would burn for a while and some thin straggly ones to get the fire going and to feed it. I didn't have a lighter so it would have to be done the old fashioned way.

When dusk finally came, I held one of the small sticks in front of Mokou's face. She was feeling a little better and was mobile again but she was agitated at the thought of having to use her powers when she felt this crap. With a roll of her eyes, the tip of her finger lit up, and she set the twig alight. I tossed it into the haphazard pile of branches and dead leaves and watched as they went up in flames. Fire crackled and snapped, and I smirked at my success, but it didn't last long. It was unusual and it was hard to get used to how little light the flames gave off. I ended up creeping closer to Mokou so I didn't feel so vulnerable.

That got me thinking. I looked at Mokou's severely weakened form – she was now sleeping lightly with her back against a tree, but sweat still dripped down her brow and she was restless.

This mishap had caused us to be delayed by a good few hours. Plus, until Mokou was better I couldn't defend myself. It was a very serious drawback, and I'd need to do something about it so such a thing didn't happen again. I relaxed with my back against Mokou's tree and shut my eyes. Let me think…

There was a few things I needed if I wanted to successfully pass through the next town and into the unknown beyond. I needed potions, antidotes, food, energy drinks, a map of the island, Touhou repels, Touhou orbs, and one I at the time wasn't sure about – more Touhoumon.

What if this situation happened again and I had no idea where to go for help? If Mokou was ever poisoned, paralysed or knocked out, I'd be open to danger from hostile Touhou. It was unlikely to happen but at the same time, I had my doubts. Surely it wouldn't hurt to have at least one other Touhou to use if Mokou became too weak? It seemed like the sensible thing to do but at the same time, I was stubbornly convinced that Mokou was all I needed. I'd need to see what the people in the next town thought. I knew all of them and most of them were old and wise, once trainers themselves. They'd know best.

I wondered how Mokou would handle this. She'd never properly lived with another Touhou before. If I did end up catching one, how would she react? Would she be nice to it or shun it? I'll need to talk to her tomorrow when she's feeling better. If there's anybody's opinion I needed, it was hers.


	4. Chapter 3: Market Town

Chapter 3

I woke up the next morning with the sun blaring in my face. With a groan I sat up and moved away from the tree, nursing my aching back. Trees did not make good beds. I'd need to remember that.

I spotted the familiar red and white of Mokou's outfit and cast a glance in her direction. She was lying face first on the ground, her limbs sprawled out in all directions, making her take on the distinct appearance of a starfish. I was taken aback with surprise but also found myself smirking. Mokou had never, in all the days she had been with me, woken up after me. Next to Aya she would always be the first one awake in the house. I guess the poison must have really taken its toll on her.

I moved to wake her up, but thought better of it. She could still be recovering. I decided that I'd wait until she was awake before we moved on. I hoped she wouldn't take too long, though… It hadn't been the first time Mokou had been poisoned. She was usually pretty good at handling it, but I guess that Wriggle must have been pretty strong. Most of the time she just shrugged it off and got on with it. I'd never seen Mokou so poorly in all of my life.

Finally she stirred just as I was pouring dirt over our extinguished campfire, just to make sure it stayed that way. The last thing I needed was a forest fire on my conscious. She slowly sat up, groaning from exhaustion and aching muscles, just as she realized that there was a bug on her nose. Still sour from yesterday, she burned it to ashes. I didn't want to think what would happen if she saw another Wriggle, or even worse, the same one from yesterday. The poor thing would be dead before I could intervene. I'd need to get her to the next town quickly… maybe some food would lift her mood a little for the journey.

She didn't seem very hungry but accepted the granola bar I offered, even if it was just for the sake of not getting hungry later. After that we took off, after I'd checked to make sure that nothing had been stolen during the night by the Touhou – it was more common than you'd think. Nothing was missing, and so we continued our short journey to the next town – or it would have been short, had it not been for the mishap.

We arrived – it was a town that went by the name of Clifftop – I had no idea why, because it was in fact quite close to the base of the mountain and there were no cliffs around. I was greeted by the town doctor, an old man who lived quietly in the house furthest away from the town. He took one look at Mokou and pulled her into the house, also his surgery. His wife made me some tea while he sat her down on his surgery table. He took a light to her eyes and I had to stop myself from giggling as Mokou snarled at him.

"Ah ah, that's enough of that, Mokou! Let me see your eyes!" He scolded but she didn't back down. I realized that I'd have to intervene.

"Mokou!" I snapped and she jumped slightly, and shrunk under my gaze. I smiled at the doctor, a smile indicating that it was safe for him to continue. He nodded in thanks – he'd always found working with Mokou difficult – and continued. He didn't even need to do a proper examination of her eyes to work out what was wrong.

"She's been poisoned – by a Wriggle, it seems." He shut off the light and turned to me.

"That's right. We got attacked by one yesterday. It seems like the worst of the poison has passed, though." I informed him and he shook his head.

"Don't be so sure. Wriggle poison is peculiar – it only takes effect in the later hours of the day. Mokou is fine now, but in a few hours she'll be just as bad as she was yesterday." He showed me a report he had on the poison as he spoke, which displayed a list of the symptoms – all of which Mokou had shown last night. It said that the poison was permanent – once it was in the body there was no waiting it out, because it never left.

"Mokou's going to have this forever!?" I shrieked, shooting up out of the chair. The doctor looked at me in stunned silence and then erupted into laughter.

"Of course not! It might be permanent but only if you live in the Dark Ages! It's a really easy poison to cure!" He told me and I sighed in relief. Then, the panic rose again –

"You do have the cure, right?"

"Of course I do, what kind of doctor do you take me for, little Renko!?" He once again exploded with laughter, and his wife rolled his eyes.

"He's off his head…" She whispered to me, and I had to giggle.

He went into a cupboard behind his surgery table and came out with a small bottle filled with a yellow-orange liquid.

"This is an Antidote. It cures Touhoumon of any type of poison in a flash! You can buy them over the counter in most shops, so I suggest that you stock up on them before you set out into the forest again." He hands me some money for this, which I try to refuse.

"No way, I don't deserve your money!" I insisted, and he frowned.

"I heard what happened to your village, and were told that you would be coming this way. You need this money more than I do."

The atmosphere tonne-shifted from joyful to serious. It was a bit of a sudden change and I had to hold back tears. Mokou leaped from the table to make sure I was okay, but the doctor chased her around the room until she was upon it again. I put the money into my pocket, and nodded in thanks – if I spoke, I would have only cried. His wife placed a comforting hand upon my back and the two of us watched as he twisted the lid off of the bottle, and forced Mokou's mouth open, much to her annoyance.

"Now, Mokou, say 'ahhh'…"

After we left, we headed straight for the shop – it was run by a delightful old couple who I knew for a fact sold everything I needed. They were good friends of my dad's and I'd spent a lot of time with them in my life. They had a delightful EX Chen who liked to play hide and seek with me in the shop when I was small. Her claws had been filed down so I was never at any risk of being hurt, although she did look silly without her trademark red claws.

A tinny bell rang when I opened the door and stepped inside. Mokou had to duck to get through the door, which I found amusing. The old man – was his name, at least to me – appeared suddenly from somewhere behind the counter, but he had a bad back so he could only sit up so far. His gentle, weak voice just reached me as the door fell shut, the tinny bell giving its cry yet again.

"Why, if it isn't Renko! What brings you here?" He asked me and I smiled at him.

"I'm just here for some supplies. You could say I'm going on an adventure." I replied and he gave a weary, toothless smile.

"Oh my, really? That time already? I always knew you'd leave that stuffy village one day, Renko. I always told your father that…"

"Well, it wasn't by choice, but I guess you were right…" I gave a laugh and snooped around the shop, picking out some items of food and some stuff especially for Mokou (she suddenly started to behave a lot better when she noticed that I had selected a bar of chocolate from one of the shelves). I brought them up to the till and rang them through.

"Now, is there anything else, My Dear?" He asked me, and I blushed in embarrassment.

"Well… I'm going to need some Trainer's supplies… It feels weird asking for them." I spoke.

"What do you need? We don't sell a lot of that sort of thing but I can see what we have." He told me and I raked my brain for the answer to that question.

"Umm, I'll need some Potions," I remembered the doctor's words and money, "and I'll need some Antidotes too."

He fished them out from somewhere in the back of the shop, and added them to my already pretty full brown shopping bag. He looked at me with that same drawn-in smile.

"Oh, and one more thing… if you've got any, I'm going to need some Touhou Orbs…" I felt like I was asking too much of him. He was going to great lengths to fish stuff out for me that he'd obviously had in stock for a long time and had forgotten about.

"…Ah." Was all he said, and he disappeared into the back room once again. Mokou was sniffing various soup cans on the shelf behind me and sneezing off layers of dust.

"Mokou, that's unhygienic, stop it!" I quietly scolded her, and she whined in boredom. Jeez, she was so troublesome!

He came back through, carrying a cardboard tray which had indents similar to those cardboard trays of eggs. These indents were much larger, and contained Touhou Orbs. Their metallic white and crimson surfaces were unmistakable. He had three of them altogether in the tray, possessing thick overcoats of dust. They'd obviously been in stock a long time too. He placed them on the counter in front of me and I picked one up, dusted it off, and examined it. Identical to Mokou's, except it was shining and brand new, despite how old it was – I checked the back of it and it was an outdated model. It would be harder to catch Touhoumon with these, but hopefully I wouldn't have to. Before I could thank him, he seemed to suddenly remember something and he dipped a hand into his trouser pocket. From it he drew a Touhou Orb in its reduced form, but he tapped the button in the middle and it increased to its full size.

"And here's a fourth, if you want it. I won't charge you for the orbs."

This one was much different from the other three. It was the same crimson and white, but the colours seemed worn. The surface was scratched and felt rough to hold, and there was the gluey remnants of stickers dotted here and there on the red side of the sphere-shaped device. It was a _used _Touhou Orb…

"What's wrong with this one?" I asked him, and he gave a sad smile.

"It was Chen's… We have no need of this Orb anymore, so you can take it."

Chen…? Their Chen? Why were they giving me her Orb!? Don't tell me…!?

"Is she…?" My voice became hushed in fear.

"Yes, Renko… she died a few months ago… I guess your father didn't want to upset you so he never told you…"

Well, this day gets better and better!

Two childhood Touhoumon, died or were discovered to be dead in the space of two days. At this rate it will be Mokou next! I couldn't live with myself if that happened… It was all a bit much…

I thanked him for being such a great help, took the Orbs including Chen's, and rushed outside the shop. I took shelter in the midday sun under a large shady tree, threw my purchases down, thumped against the tree, and cried. Mokou had been slow to follow me, but when she had realized my emotional state she rushed to my side as fast as she could.

"Jeez, Mokou… why is everybody _dying _all of a sudden? When did the world become so cruel…?" I sobbed, curling up into a ball, with my face buried into my knees. Mokou seemed to be at a loss at what to do. I'd always been a happy child, I'd only cried a few times in her life and all of those times my dad had looked after me. But he wasn't here right now. She thought back to what my dad had always done when I had been upset. She sucked in her pride, put on the stoniest face possible and hugged me from the side.

I was so startled by this unbelievably rare show of affection from Mokou that my tears halted instantly. I gripped her arm tightly with my hands, a rather feeble attempt at hugging back but I was still in shock. Mokou had stopped being affectionate the first time she evolved. Before that she used to give me this cat-like head-butt as a form of greeting, but she hasn't done that in years. I know that she cares about me deeply but she isn't good at showing it. I even happened to glance at the look on her face and saw how uncomfortable she looked with being friendly.

"It's okay Mokou, I'm fine." I said to her and she instantly withdrew, seemingly quite relieved. I smiled and watched as she deliberately knocked over the shopping bag so she could rake through its contents. I was happy to sit and watch her, in a strange isolated state of bliss which normally happened to me just after crying – where I was so tired from crying that I forgot why I had been crying in the first place, and just relaxed until I remembered. I guess it hadn't happened with Aya's death though, because it had been too scarring… This wasn't too bad… I barely knew Chen, but still, I guess I could have called her a friend… I stared at her former Touhou Orb which had rolled the furthest away from the shopping bag. I felt a sudden need to catch a Touhoumon – incredibly sudden and uncontrollable was the urge – and luckily, somebody who could help showed up at that exact moment.

"Renko-senpai! Took you long enough!"

I looked away from Mokou and to a little boy, about nine years old, with vibrant blond hair and a sneer on his face. This little boy was the son of a famous Touhoumon trainer, but he didn't yet have a Touhoumon of his own, although he wanted one. His name was Toshiaki. I'd known him since he was born, we were good friends although he was never that nice to me. He adored Mokou, though.

"Long time no see, Kid." I sighed, sprawling out against the tree and watching him lazily.

"Senpai, today I want you to help me catch a Touhou!" He told me, and it was definitely an order and not a suggestion. I yawned.

"This again? Didn't your dad say that you were still too young for a Touhoumon?" I inquired and he shook his head rapidly.

"Yeah, he did, but now he's changed his mind! And I want you to help me!"

I sighed and stood up.

"If you're sure… Have you got a Touhou Orb?" I asked him and he nodded, extending one from his palm. He pressed the button and it enlarged. Its smooth surface gleamed in the sunlight.

"Well then, I guess we're all ready. Come on!" I hopped up from the base of the tree and beckoned Mokou to follow us as we advanced down the path I had come from the forest. It was the perfect place to find Touhoumon, but it was pretty dangerous at any other time. Toshiaki normally wasn't allowed out here, but since Mokou was with us it was okay.

"Do you actually know what to do, Renko-senpai? Have you ever caught a Touhou before?" His tone was accusing as he asked.

"No, but I've seen Dad do it. It can't be that hard!" I scoffed. Mokou suddenly made a leap for a nearby bush and dragged out a Chibi Cirno. Cirnos were little ice fairies who tended to be stupid and brave – not a good combination by any means. And, of course, they were weak to Mokou's attacks. It would be a perfect Touhou for Toshiaki – they had similar personalities for a start.

"There, I want that one!" He announced stubbornly and that was the only signal I needed. Mokou released the Cirno and it readied itself for battle, angered by being manhandled.

"Mokou, if you please?" It's all I need to say. Mokou waits for the little fairy to charge, and then blasts it with a forceful ball of fire from her hands – a little harsh, but it did the trick. The fairy did backflips in the air from the force before collapsing onto the ground, wounded and covered in scorch marks. She hadn't yet fainted – now was the perfect chance.

"Now, throw the Orb!" I called to him and he rushed forward and feebly chucked the device. It hit the little fairy square in the face and she disappeared inside of it with a white flash. As the orb began to shake and glow, Mokou refused to drop her guard.

Shake… shake… shake… done. Cirno was caught.

Toshiaki's face lit up in shock and happiness.

"I… I have a Touhou!" He looked at me with shining eyes and a grin that almost chopped his face in half. I just smiled and indicated to the orb.

"Bring her out, I'll heal her for you."

He ran over and scooped up the orb, gave it what I assumed was a hug, and pranced back over to me. He clicked the orb open and the poor Cirno tumbled out, still in a lot of pain but no longer hostile. I took one of the potions I bought out of my bag and quickly sprayed it over her burns. She watched, amazed as they healed and she instantly brightened. She gave a cry which sounded suspiciously like 'atai' and ran in circles. Mokou rolled her eyes and gave a groan, and I'm pretty sure she made an attempt to hide behind me. I grinned and stood out of the way, and the Cirno rushed to greet her. Toshiaki decided to join in, and Mokou could only lie there and take it as she became a trampoline to the two.

Once again, I thought about the possibility of catching more Touhou. I still needed to talk to Mokou about that. Fighting other Touhoumon was fun! I enjoyed that battle with Cirno, despite how short it was. But… I wanted to experience that with other Touhou. I wanted to teach, and raise other Touhou too. Mokou could teach them too! There was nothing wrong with having more Touhou in my team, right? The more the merrier!

…Bah, who am I kidding? I don't need anybody but Mokou. She's more than good enough to keep me safe and defeat anybody who stands in our way. Right…?

* * *

Hey guys! Sorry about the long delay, I honestly have no decent excuses, so please aim your tomatoes, but please no sharp weapons!

Also, I'm sorry this story is turning out so dark... I wasn't really meaning for it to be this dark. I guess it's an interesting turn from other stories along the lines of Pokemon, but I'm sorry if you guys don't really like how dark it's becoming. I swear it gets better for Renko soon! Sort of... ^^'

~Lagiacrus


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